Historical US Military Operations Relating to Africa (1945-1999)

The United States was a very young country when it first saw its military engaged in conflict in Africa. The Barbary Wars in the early nineteenth century marked one of the first expeditionary engagements for the new nation. Still, it was not until after the end of the Second World War, as nations in Africa began to shrug off colonialism, that the US really took a significant interest in the continent. With the end of colonialism came the rise of new political movements, and Africa became an important front in the Cold War. The United States spent significant energy supporting its side of the argument and the US military were called upon on more than one occasion to assist. As the Cold War entered its twilight, interest dwindled again. Still, the US conducted numerous operations in the 1980s ranging from punitive strikes to supporting international peace operations to non-combatant evacuation and humanitarian assistance operations.